Jason WhitacreOn the morning of March 19, Santa Ana College President Annebelle Nery sent an email to students and faculty announcing the immediate covering of The Legacy of Cesar Chavez by muralist and SAC alumnus Emigdio Vasquez, located in the college’s Cesar Chavez building.
The order swiftly followed allegations of sexual assault against Chavez from several women, including civil rights leader Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farmworkers of America.
Mere minutes after a scheduled fire drill, a team of maintenance workers arrived to shield the long central mural, depicting Chavez alongside Huerta and others, from view. A plaque and an attached staircase piece that prominently displays Chavez in deep rose red were meant to be covered as well.
Darren Hostetter, art professor and head of SAC’s mural arts program, witnessed the workers enter the building. Five days later, at the March 24 Academic Senate meeting, Hostetter claimed to have stood between the men and the mural in an attempt to temporarily halt the process.
“I heard that morning that the Emigdio Vasquez mural was going to be covered up with wood. It looked like they were going to put screws into the face of it. I asked them to stop, and they did stop. Thank goodness they didn’t actually damage it or drill any holes.”
Amidst the commotion following the fire drill, Hostetter was able to flag down Kristi Blackburn, dean of the Fine & Performing Arts division. Located only a few yards away from her office, Blackburn was already on her way to investigate what was happening at the mural.
Blackburn shared her experience of the events that day: “Professor Hostetter stood there, momentarily, while I came back to send an e-mail to the president saying that nobody is disputing the covering up, but what we were asking is that the mural not be damaged in the process of covering it. She immediately responded that yes, no damage should be done.”
Despite the experience shared by Hostetter and Blackburn, there are alternative views about what may have happened that day.
“There was never, ever, any intention of drilling holes,” said Vice President of Administrative Services Bart Hoffman. “I was on the phone on a regular and ongoing basis that morning, talking about how that mural was going to be covered with paper and tape, where the tape would not damage the mural.”
Public Information Officer Ethereal Reyes, who helped draft the initial notice about the mural, helped with providing additional context:
“I strongly believe the priority was to cover it up, but that awareness of the art and history wasn’t at the top of [the team’s] mind. Luckily, with a faculty member being there, they were able to give some context and education as to the mural itself.”
Reyes added: “They were able to come to a compromise and ultimately just get it done.”
Chavez’s likeness is being scrubbed from public places across the nation, but the SAC piece is inviting conflicting thoughts about its future, mostly because of its status as an artwork by Vasquez, who is regarded as the godfather of Chicano art.
On March 23, the RSCCD Board of Trustees’ public meeting briefly opened the conversation about what should be done with the mural. Despite productive discussions, no actions will be taken on any projects right away. “We should not move with haste,” advised Trustee David Crockett. “We should move in a fashion in which we get it right the first time.”
Replacing Chavez with a full portrait of Huerta was floated as a possibility, as well as adding greater representation of the farm workers at the center of the movement. Both ideas have been echoed in Academic Senate and have garnered strong support from Vasquez’s son, Emigdio “Higgy” Vasquez Jr.
Since the mural was painted on the SAC campus in 1997, Hostetter has maintained an ongoing relationship with the Vasquez family, who declined to be interviewed while decisions about the mural are still ongoing. Hostetter spoke about the future of the mural at the March 24 senate meeting, noting that the family had been in contact with him and expressed that they are willing to help with any alterations.
“If you Google Santa Ana and murals, some of the first articles that pop up are the community outcries about one of the murals done by O’Cadiz that was painted over, and we don’t want that to be us,” said Blackburn.
Blackburn is referencing the 2019 literal whitewashing of the Raitt Street Mural painted by Mexican-born artist Sergio O’Cadiz, originally created in partnership with the community, on Raitt Street south of SAC in Santa Ana. A move that was met with public disdain from the local community.
Across campus, the sentiment about the future of the Vasquez mural has varied wildly.
“I don’t want the face of somebody with those accusations depicted at my school,” said civil engineering major Melina.
Enrique, a graphic design major, feels the mural represents Mexican-American history and should be kept as is. “His image changes, and nothing changes. That image is not him, because he’s gone. [Dolores Huerta’s] words are against nobody, so it doesn’t make sense. You have to keep it, for the farm workers.”
José Lopez, a recent recipient of a SAC biotechnology certificate, said that he believes depictions of Chavez no longer align with what the school represents. Claiming that he would support the removal of the mural if that’s the decision made.
SAC President Annebelle Nery noted that recommendations have been shared with the facilities and safety department, as well as school governance groups, which will go to the college council. Making it clear that “we want to follow the senate recommendation for the murals.”
Difficult conversations may be coming, but Blackburn is ready to hear them and ready to face them as a community. “While most of our students are here for a short time, they then become alumni, and we want them to be proud of us as an institution.”
She added: “We really want to hear what the students are thinking and feeling. Sitting with that emotion and working through that emotion together. Even if it becomes a productive struggle.”
Decisions from the senate and the board of trustees about the future of The Legacy of Cesar Chavez are still pending at the time of press. Trustees have the final vote but will wait on choices still to be made at the college level, which will then be voted on by the district, according to PIO Reyes.
“I’m happy with what the school was able to do at this point, and to just kind of stop and pause and cover it.” Hostetter expressed, “Wait for the experts, wait for people to chime in with different opinions. I think that we can’t hurry, and we can’t rush this process. It has to be thoughtful and meaningful, not just to the students but the staff and faculty and the community.”
This discussion is in the beginning of an ongoing process, with important decisions to consider about victims, families, artistic presentation, historical education, and more topics that have yet to be presented.
“I think as people we all need to listen to each other more and try understanding our fellow neighbors and colleagues more,” said PIO Reyes. “We all need to listen.”
